Castles & palaces

Hohenecken Castle

Hohenecken Castle is situated on the 376-meter-high Schlossberg in the Kaiserslautern district of the same name. It was built during the Hohenstaufen era between 1150 and 1250 and was first documented in 1277. Located on a spur at the end of a long ridge, it was destroyed in 1688 during the War of the Palatine Succession. The ruins are considered by experts to be one of the most impressive Hohenstaufen castles and offer a rewarding view of the surrounding area. It is therefore a popular destination for day trips. At the foot of the Schlossberg, in the town itself, the Burgschänke restaurant invites visitors to enjoy its offerings.

Gräfenstein Castle near Merzalben

Gräfenstein Castle is located in the southwestern Palatinate Forest, about one kilometer east of Merzalben, atop the 437-meter-high Schlossberg. Due to its proximity to the village of Merzalben, the castle is also known as Merzalben Castle. Gräfenstein Castle is well-preserved and is one of

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the most important Hohenstaufen-era castles in Rhineland-Palatinate. Refreshments are available in the surrounding villages; there is no food service area directly at the castle.

Dahn Castle Group

The Dahn Castle Group, consisting of the three castles Altdahn, Grafendahn, and Tanstein, stretches 200 to 300 meters in length and is situated at an altitude of 338 meters. It is one of the most visited castle complexes in the Palatinate Forest. It is located east of Dahn in the Südwestpfalz district. The castle tavern on site provides visitors with light meals and refreshing drinks during their tour of the castle complex.

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Michelsburg Castle

The ruins of Michelsburg Castle, freely accessible year-round, are located on Remigiusberg hill near the villages of Haschbach and Theisbergstegen. Right next to the castle is the former Benedictine priory of the Reims Remigius Monastery. This now houses a restaurant with a terrace and a fantastic view over the surrounding villages.

Kaiserpfalz & Casimir Palace

As early as the 9th century, a royal court was established on the site between today’s town hall and Burgstraße in Kaiserslautern. When Friedrich I Barbarossa became king in 1152, he built an exceptionally magnificent

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castle complex there, the so-called Kaiserpfalz. After Kaiserslautern was designated the residence of the Principality of Palatinate-Lautern, Count Palatine Johann Casimir had a grand palace built east of the castle between 1570 and 1580. The palace was completely destroyed over the years, and its ruins were discovered during excavations in the 1930s. A partial reconstruction followed. The remains of the walls of the former Kaiserpfalz and Casimir Palace are located south of the town hall and north of Burgstraße in Kaiserslautern’s city center today. The ruins are freely accessible, and the Count Palatine’s Hall, the tombs, and the underground passages can be visited on guided tours.

Read more about the Kaiserpfalz and Casimir Palace

Address: Willy-Brandt-Platz 2, 67657 Kaiserslautern

Pirmasens Palace Square and Palace Fountain

In 1757, Landgrave Ludwig IX of Hessen-Darmstadt made Pirmasens his residence and had the old hunting lodge expanded for this purpose. French troops completely destroyed the lodge in 1793, and the ruins were demolished in 1805. Today, the imposing fountain with a bull’s head and the

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the palace square stand on the former site of the lodge. The remaining fragments of the lodge, mainly paintings and furniture, can now be seen in the Pirmasens City Museum and the Darmstadt Palace Museum.

Palace in Zweibrücken

The Ducal Palace in Zweibrücken is one of the largest and most magnificent secular Baroque buildings in Rhineland-Palatinate. It was built between 1720 and 1725 by the Swedish architect Jonas Erikson Sundahl (1678-1762) as the new residence of the dukes of Palatinate-Zweibrücken. The palace was heavily damaged in the Second World War (1939-1945), but was rebuilt in a three-year construction phase according to the original plans by Sundahl and reopened in 1965. Since then, the palace has housed the Palatinate

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Higher Regional Court and the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Falkenstein Castle

Falkenstein Castle rises on a rhyolite rock west of the town of the same name and was probably built before 1135. The castle’s current appearance is characterized by the still-standing outer walls of the former palace and the castle’s curtain wall. Thanks to its hillside location, Falkenstein Castle offers a good view over the North Palatinate Uplands. Of particular note is a cellar vault, discovered later – in the 1970s – which rests on a rock and is accessible via a vaulted passage. The adjacent restaurant provides a pleasant place to relax with food and drinks.

Nanstein Castle

Nanstein Castle, built in the 13th century, is one of the best-preserved castles in the West Palatinate and is located in the municipality of Land-stuhl in the Kaiserslautern district. The castle sits on a spur at the western end of the Kahlenberg hill, overlooking the town of Landstuhl, to which it was once connected by walls. The castle was built to control the road from the Rhine Valley via Kaiserslautern to Lorraine. Today, it is a popular venue for theatrical performances, concerts, and medieval markets. The castle tavern also invites visitors to enjoy food and drink.

Lichtenberg Castle

With a total length of 425 meters, Lichtenberg Castle is one of the largest castle complexes in Germany and even the longest castle in the Palatinate region. After a period of significant decay, the castle has been a listed historical monument since 1895 and has been undergoing restoration and structural preservation since the late 19th century. Today, the castle has established itself as a popular tourist destination with a diverse range of cultural and tourist attractions, as well as a castle restaurant.

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In addition to the castle buildings and ruins, the complex includes a youth hostel, two museums, and a herb garden.

Reipoltskirchen Water Castle

In Reipoltskirchen in the valley of the Odenbach, a water castle was built on a rocky spur. This location is extraordinary, which is why it is considered the most prominent and best-preserved lowland castle in the Palatinate. In 1999, renovation of the facility began in order to make it a tourist attraction. In order to bring new life to the old walls alongside the preservation of historical substance, a restaurant, a registry office, and an art school were established. In addition, a sculpture trail is being launched at the castle as a

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gallery in the green.

Berwartstein Castle

Built in the 12th century, Berwartstein Castle is one of the most popular and frequently visited castles in the West Palatinate and is located in the municipality of Erlenbach in the Südwestpfalz district. The castle sits atop a 280-meter-high rocky outcrop east of the village of Erlenbach. It was constructed to control the road between Fleckenstein and Trifels, but also as a rival to the forces at Dahn Castle. This unique, completely preserved castle complex in the West Palatinate can be explored on a guided tour. After your tour, the castle’s restaurant offers a welcome opportunity to refresh yourself.